Braiding-machine



A. PETERSEN.

BRMDING MACHINE. AEPLlCATION FILED APR.23. 1919.

1,33 1,672. Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-ANKER PETERSEN, GF VlINTI-IROP, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE AMERICAN WIREMOLD COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

BRAIDING-MACI-IINE.

, To all whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, ANKER PETERSEN, citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Winthrop, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Braiding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary braiding machines, and particularly to braiding machines of the type having a main revolving frame, within which a series of thread carriers are revolved in the opposite direction by another revolving frame, the main revolving frame carrying strand guides for passing the strands over and under the thread carriers driven by the other frame.

The principal object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means by which the rollers which drive the thread carriers around the machine will be rotated on their own axes, and so will facilitate the passage of the strands which pass under the thread carriers and between said driving rollers and the rollers on the thread carriers driven thereby.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate certain embodiments of the invention, and show only such parts of the braiding machine as a whole as are necessary for an understanding of the novel features of the invention,

Figure .1 is a vertical section, partly broken away, of part of a rotary braiding machine containing the invention;

Fig. 2' is a vertical section, partly broken "away, of a modification;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in plan of parts of the machme;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the outer end of one of the thread carriers and its driving roller; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on a radial line of the machine through one' of the thread carriers, and parts which support and drive the thread earner.

Referring first to the form of machme shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 represents the machine frame or standard, prererably spider" shaped, and'provided with a central hub 2 which supports a fixed central, tubular; shaft 3. The fabric is formed at the top of shaft 3. The shaft 3 is sur- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1920.

application filed April 23, 1919. Serial No. 292,060.

rounded by a sleeve 4 which is rotatable on shaft 3, and has secured to it, as by a key 6, the bevel gear 5 which rotates on the upper face of hub 2.

The braided fabric T passes down through the hollow shaft 3 to a take-up mechanism of usual construction (not shown).

A driving shaft 7, journaled in bracket 8 on the machine frame, has at its inner end a pinion 10 which meshes with and drives the bevel gear 5.

Upon the sleeve 4 above the bevel gear 5 is a revolving frame 11 which supports the strand guides (not shown) in the usual way, and turns on sleeve 4. The frame 11, which may be called the main revolving frame, is provided with a bevel gear 12 on its under side engaging the pinion 10. Thus the frame 11 and the parts carried thereby are caused to revolve in the opposite direction to the sleeve 4 and the parts carried thereby.

Above the main revolving frame 11 is another revolving frame made up of the circular plate 13, and concentric annular rims 14 and 15 connected by radial arms 16, the inner rim 14 being fastened to plate 13. In each of the segmental spaces between the rims 14 and 15 and the arms 16, there is a thread carrier driving roller 17 on shaft 18,

which is radially disposed and journaled at its ends between rims 14 and 15. The revolving frame made up of plate 18, rims 14 and 15, and arms 16, may be called the roller frame. Each shaft 18 has a collar 19 to prevent endwise movement of the shaft in its bearings.

A friction wheel 20 having a tread made of felt, or other suitable compressible resilient material, is fixed to each shaft 18 on the inner side of roller 17 so that it rotates therewith. Said friction wheels engage and run on the under side of a disk 21, which is keyed or otherwise fixed to the top of hollow shaft 3 and is therefore stationary. The under margin of disk 21, which is the track for the friction wheels, may, if desired, be cov 'ered with a strip of leather or other suitable friction material.

A series of thread carriers 22,each adapted to carry a cop or mass of thread, are .mounted in the several segmental spaces between the rims 14 and 15 and the arms 16.

At the inner end of each thread carrier is a supporting roller 23 which rests on the top of disk 21. This roller may, if desired, be provided with a tread of friction material such as leather. At the outer end of each thread carrier is another roller 24, which may also have a friction tread of leather or the like, and is engaged by roller 17.

Said tread carriers also have horizontally disposed rollers 25 which run in a horizontal groove or guideway on the main revolving frame 11, thus supporting the outer ends of the thread carriers and taking up the centrifugal thrust as the carriers revolve around the machine. Each thread carrier may also have a roller 26 at the top of the outer end, aiding to resist centrifugal thrust, and cooperating with a guard ring 27 to prevent the thread carrier from being displaced inwardly from its position.

The thread carriers 22, each with its outer roller 24; engages by the forward or leading side of one of the driving rollers 17 see Fig. 4-), considered in relation to the direction of revolution, are pushed along in front of rollers 17 and driven around the machine. by the revolution of the roller frame 13, 14:, 15, 16, While the inner rollers 23 of the thread carriers run on the disk 21. The threads or strands t are guided by the usual strand guides (not shown) on the main revolving frame 11, over and under the thread carriers 22 in the usual way. As the strands t pass under the carriers 22 they enter the nip between rollers 24. and 17 and are positively fed betweenrollers 24 and rollers 17 the latter being rotated by the friction wheels 20 tItLVGlillg on the disk 21. By thus driving the rollers 17, by means of the friction wheels 20, rollers 24: are also rotated and the danger is eliminated of breaking the thread or strands, as would be likely to happen if the rollers 17 were idler roll ers, and if the tension of the strands themselves were relied upon to pull the thread between the rollers. This feature is of espe cial importance when the machine is operated upon light or fine material, or upon strands having little tensile strength. ,The inner rollers 23 of the thread carriers roll freely over the strands 25. Thus in passing under both rollers of the thread carrier, the strands t are substantially relieved of any sudden strain.

It will be noted that the friction wheels 20 are of smaller diameter than the driving wheels 17, thus imparting to .the latter a greater peripheral speed and so aiding in the passage of .the strands t which are traveling rapidly in the opposite direction .toroller frame 21. This difference in diameter also causes the rollers 17 to project above the plane of disk 21-into the path of the strands.

The threads 2? (Fig. 3) from the thread carriers, and the strands t, which are passed over and under the thread c-arrlers, all eX- tend to a bushing 28 at the top of the hollow shaft 3, where the fabric T is formed.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the disk 21" instead of being stationary like disk 21 in Fig. 1, is revolved in the same direction as the main revolving frame 11, and

in the opposite direction to the roller frame and thread carriers. This is accomplished by bevel pinions 29, mounted on a bracket 30 fixed to the hollow shaft 3. Pinions 29 work between a bevel gear 31 011 the under moves in the same direction as the strands t, whichare carried around by the main re volving frame 11, any rubbing and chafing of the strands t on the disk isavoided.

I claim:

1. A braiding machine comprising a main revolving frame, a revolving roller fame, means to drive said frames in opposite directions, thread carrierdriving rollers arranged on radially disposed axes carried by the roller frame, a series of thread carriers each having a roller at its outer end engaged by one of said driving rollers, friction wheels turning with and adapted to rotate the driving rollers and thereby to rotate said rollers on the thread carriers, and a track on which said friction wheels run.

2. A braiding machine comprisin a main revolving frame, a revolving roller frame, means. to drive said frames in opposite directions, thread carrier driving rollers arranged on radially disposed axes carried by thev roller frame, a series of thread carriers each having a roller at its outer end engaged by one of said driving rollers, friction wheels turning with and adapted torotate the driving rollers and thereby to rotate said rollers on the thread carriers, and a. stationary track on which said friction wheels run. 7

3. A braiding machine comprising amain revolvmg frame, a revolvmgroller frame, means to drive sa d. frames n opposite d1- rections, thread carrier driving rollers arranged on radially disposedaxes carried by the roller frame, a series of thread carriers each having a roller at its outer end engaged by one of said driving rollers, friction wheels at the inner side of the driving rollers turning with and adapted to rotate the drivingrollers and thereby to. rotate said rollers on the thread carriers, and a circular track mounted concentric with said revolving frames on which track said friction wheels run.

4. A braiding machine comprising a main revolving frame, a revolving roller frame, means to drive said frames in opposite directions, thread carrier driving rollers arranged on radially disposed axes carried by the roller frame, a series of thread carriers each having a roller at its outer end engaged by one of said driving rollers, friction wheels at the inner side of the driving rollers turning with and adapted to rotate the driving rollers and thereby to rotate said rollers on the thread carriers, and a stationary circular track mounted concentric with said revolving frames on which track said friction wheels run.

5. A braiding machine comprising a main revolving frame, a revolving roller frame, means to drive said frames in opposite directions, thread carrier driving rollers arranged on radially disposed axes carried by the roller frame, a series of thread carriers each having a roller at its outer end engaged by one of said driving rollers, and a roller at its inner end, friction wheels at the inner side of the driving rollers turning with and adapted to rotate the driving rollers and thereby to rotate the outer rollers on the thread carriers, and a disk mounted concentric with said revolving frames, the inner rollers of the thread carriers running on the top of said disk and the friction wheels running on the bottom of said disk.

6. A braiding machine comprising a main revolving frame, a revolving roller frame, means to drive said frames in opposite directions, thread carrier driving rollers arranged on radially disposed axes carried by the roller frame, a series of thread carriers each having a roller at its outer end engaged by one of said driving rollers, and a roller at its inner end, friction wheels at the inner side of the driving rollers turn ing with and adapted to rotate the driving rollers and thereby to rotate the outer rollers on the thread carriers, and a stationary disk mounted concentric with said revolving frames, the inner rollers of the thread carriers running on the top of said disk and the friction wheels running on the bottom of said disk.

7. A braiding machine comprising a main revolving frame, a revolving-roller frame, means to drive said frames in opposite directions, thread carrier driving rollers arranged on radially disposed axes carried by the roller frame, a series of thread carriers each having a roller at its outer end engaged by one of said driving rollers, friction wheels of smaller diameter than the driving rollers turning with and adapted to rotate the driving rollers and thereby to rotate said rollers on the thread carriers, and

- a track on which said friction wheels run.

8. A braiding machine comprising a main revolving frame, a revolving roller frame, means to drive said frames in opposite directions, thread carrier driving rollers arranged on radially disposed axes carried by the roller frame, a series of thread carriers each having a roller at its outer end engaged by one of said driving rollers, and a roller at its inner end, friction wheels at the inner side of the driving rollers turning with and adapted to rotate the driving rollers and thereby to rotate the outer rollers on the thread carriers, and a disk mounted concentric with said revolving frames and inside the path of the drivin rollers, the inner rollers of the thread carriers running on the top of said disk and the friction wheels running on the under margin of said disk.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 12th day of April, 1919.

ANKER PETERSEN. 

